Caleb Wilson is projected to go No. 2 overall in Yahoo Sports’ latest NBA Mock Draft
Caleb Wilson hasn’t made it through the NBA Draft combine yet, but there’s already plenty of buzz that he could be picked in the top three overall. What wasn’t expected, however, is that Yahoo Sports predicted it could go higher than that. In their latest mock draft, Wilson was picked second overall by the Atlanta Hawks.
For much of what we’ll call the NCAA/NBA basketball season, it was widely predicted that Wilson would be selected with the fourth overall pick. But there were times during the 2025-26 UNC season where fans had to start wondering if he could rise even higher. He’s one of the best athletes in the draft, has a really high ceiling, and most importantly, could become one of the best players on an NBA team right now. It’s hard to say this about Darryn Peterson, for example, but it’s understandable to see AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson as interchangeable. But this is the first time Wilson has been projected as a top-two pick, to our knowledge, which means this draft could get really interesting for the Georgia native.
Announcement
Here’s what Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor had to say about the All-American:
“NBA front office executives increasingly believe Wilson could be the second player chosen in June’s draft. While his exact spot won’t be clear until after the draft lottery once each pick is determined, some teams value the North Carolina freshman above Duke’s more floor-bound Cam Boozer. Others see Wilson as a player with similar upsides to Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, with significantly fewer downsides due to concerns about Peterson’s availability.”
It’s interesting that O’Connor said some teams would value Wilson’s aerial skills over Boozer’s gravity-bound game, but it’s also not surprising. Objectively speaking, it would make more sense for some teams to take Boozer over Wilson, but there are some NBA teams that don’t have a guy who is wired quite like Wilson. Where he actually gets picked will likely depend on which team has a top 2-3 pick, but hearing that front office executives are increasingly confident that Wilson can be the second player off the board is huge.
What do you think of Yahoo’s projection? Do you think Wilson could finish second overall? Do you think there’s a chance he could become number 1 overall? Let us know in the comments below.